Abstract This article explores the cultural and ethnic identity of the elite in the Qing Empire. Focusing on material culture, it examines the Qing elite's possessions, as recorded in confiscation inventories, to provide insights into their identity through dress, household goods, and cultural and literary activities. The findings challenge the theory of Han assimilation, suggesting that the Manchu elite preserved a distinct cultural identity separate from their Han peers. It also uncovers evidence of a “unified” hybrid Qing culture shared by Manchu and Han senior officials that was distinct from the Manchu and Han cultures that persisted among the populace. Signs of this “unified” Qing culture existed more widely in the public sphere. In the domestic sphere, it was evident only in the homes of wealthy senior officials. The remaining elite Han and Manchus continued to adhere distinctly to their ancestral ways of living.
Yitong Qiu (Mon,) studied this question.